This electric Toyota is not sold at dealerships…

Toyota brought to life one of the stars of the animated film My Neighbor Totoro. An electric vehicle dedicated to the Ghibli park in Japan.

Nothing is lost, everything is recycled. Toyota, partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, provided a very large fleet of low-speed electric vehicles nicknamed “Accessible People Mover” by the Japanese company.

To give them a second life, Toyota decided to allocate them to the Ghibli park, in the city of Aichi, where a memorial site of the 2005 Universal Exhibition is located. But to make it special, these vehicles were repainted to pay homage to the iconic bus in which the characters Satsuki and Mei descend through the night sky in the animated film My Neighbor Totoro.

As true as nature!

The design is downright charming. It was created by the imaginative Naoki Nagatsu and his team of designers at Toyota. A big tail, small paws, mischievous big eyes. Everything is there. The steering wheel, dashboard, and seats mimic the fur texture of a cat. The Cat Bus is distinguished by its feline eyes, which required a very particular focus. Tire pressure must be monitored precisely, Toyota states, to ensure the perfect effect. For example, the steering wheel was centered at the front to ensure proper weight distribution.

The eyes obviously glow in the dark and change color during the day depending on the brightness. The magic shines through happily.

An accessible vehicle for everyone

As its name suggests, the Accessible People Mover is designed to accommodate elderly people, passengers with reduced mobility, pregnant women, and parents with young children. To this end, it is configured to provide easy access for all types of people, with a deployable ramp that takes only 10 seconds. It allows a wheelchair user and their companion to board from opposite sides. Another basic feature of the APM is the raised driver’s seat, which allows for easy turnover and ensures safety checks on passengers during startup.

The Cat Bus will begin service in Aichi, Japan, starting March 16, 2024.

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